Australia on the verge of dropping Test bombshell
The wicket at Sabina Park has been described as grassy and 'greenish', and Aussie selectors are considering an extra seam bowler for the pink-ball Test.
Pacemen Scott Boland or Sean Abbott could come into the Aussie XI, or Josh Inglis could be called on to strengthen the batting line-up which would mean allrounder Beau Webster would be used as the fourth bowler.
The Test begins on Sunday morning (AEST), and, hours out from the first ball, captain Pat Cummins has refused to shed light on the fabric of team when facing media.
'(We're) trying to still get our heads around exactly what (the pink ball is) going to do,' Cummins said.
'We've had two sessions here again see how the pitch looks.
'You know, (we're) still 30 or 24 hours out, so yeah, really just trying to get our heads around it and kind of have another day to think about it.' Nathan Lyon could be dropped for the pink-ball Test. Credit: Getty Images
Pressed on whether the 37-year-old Lyon would be dumped, Cummins said it was certainly an option.
'I think everything's an option, so yeah, we haven't settled,' he said.
The looming decision comes not long after Lyon called time on his role as the Australian 'songmaster' (the conductor of the victory song).
Ahead of the second Test in the West Indies, Lyon handed over the songmaster duties to Alex Carey, but insisted it was not his first step to retirement.
'It definitely doesn't mean I'm retiring anytime soon,' he said.
'It's more about the team environment, making sure that I get the opportunity to pass it on to someone who I look at and absolutely love in the way he goes about it on and off the field and I just feel like Alex is the perfect candidate.
'I ran my race with it, and it's time for someone else to put their touch on it.'
Lyon said he believed Carey — who was the stand-in songmaster in 2023 when Lyon was injured during the Ashes — was the ideal candidate. The history of Australia's song-master. Credit: 7Cricket
And Carey will follow in the footsteps of other champion wicket-keepers and spiritual leaders such as Rod Marsh and Ian Healy.
Greats such as Allan Border, Ricky Ponting, and Justin Langer have also held the role.
'I've always said I want to win away in India. I want to win away in England,' Lyon said at the time.
'We've got that opportunity in a couple of years' time, but we've also got to take it Test by Test and make sure that we're doing everything here in West Indies right.
'Then we've got a massive summer at home with the Ashes.
'But another World Test Championship final would be on my cards for sure.'
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7NEWS
19 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Aussie hero Mitchell Starc hailed for classy act immediately after destroying West Indies
Australian hero Mitchell Starc is being hailed for a classy act immediately after obliterating the West Indies with one of the greatest bowling performances ever seen in Test cricket. On a historic afternoon in Jamaica, Australia's quicks ran riot to wrap up a 176-run win and claim a 3-0 series sweep in the fight for the Frank Worrell Trophy. Scott Boland became only the 10th Australian to claim a Test hat-trick, but was remarkably not the headline act after Starc ripped the heart out of the hosts with figures of 6-9. The left-armer took three wickets in the first over of West Indies' second innings and claimed five in his first 15 balls to at one stage have them 5-7. Playing in his 100th Test, Starc also became the fourth Australian to reach the 400-wicket milestone, joining greats Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Nathan Lyon. Starc was named player of the series for his 15 wickets at 14.80. But instead of joining teammates in the rooms for celebrations after the post-match presentations, Starc spent 15 minutes talking about the art of fast bowling to West Indies quick Johann Layne. Prominent cricket commentator Bharat Sundaresan spotted the exchange. 'What a champion, Mitch Starc. 100th Test, 3 wickets in an over, 400th wicket & then he spends 15 minutes chatting with young West Indian quick Johann Layne about fast bowling before finally going back to the rooms, where the rest of the Aussie team wait for him,' he wrote. Fans immediately hailed Starc for the classy gesture. 'What an absolute bloke! I hope he stays around for 3-4 more years,' one said. 'Sportsmanship at its finest right here. Love to see it,' another said. 'Legend - and pure cricketer. Doesn't get caught up in all the outside social media nonsense,' another added. Speaking to reporters on-field after the match, Starc was asked what his highlight of the day was. 'It will come when Alex (Carey) decides to sing the team song,' he responded. Captain Pat Cummins hailed the 'bonkers' performance. 'A three-wicket maiden in the first over of a Test innings is just bonkers,' he said. 'He was on fire. A lot of the chat leading into this week is how resilient you need to be and professional to play 100 Tests. 'But I think that's the Starcy I always remember playing alongside. He can tear a game open by himself in the matter of a couple of overs.' Starc's 15-ball five-wicket haul marked the fastest by any bowler in Test history, eclipsing the previous record of 19 from Ernie Toshack, Stuart Broad and Boland. The 35-year-old also became the second man to take three wickets in the opening over of a Test innings, striking when he had John Campbell caught behind first ball. He then trapped Kevlon Anderson when the right-hander left a ball that tailed in at him, before bowling Brandon King with the last delivery of the over. Starc's assault continued with his 400th and 401st Test scalps at the start of his third over, both Mikyle Louis and Shai Hope gone lbw. At that point, Starc had figures of 5-2, with the only runs off him coming via the outside edge of Hope's bat and through the slips. Starc could have had a sixth victim in his opening five-over spell before tea, had Sam Konstas not grassed a chance at third slip to remove Alzarri Joseph. But that opened the door for Boland to take Australia's first Test hat-trick since Peter Siddle in 2010. Called in for Lyon, the Victorian edged off Justin Greaves, had Shamar Joseph lbw and bowled Jomel Warrican in consecutive balls. 'I was a bit nervous bowling that last ball,' Boland admitted. 'It's an amazing feeling. Starcy set us up there, and I have never been involved in a game where we bowled a team out for 27.' MITCHELL STARC'S SPELL OF DESTRUCTION IN KINGSTON 0.1 - Starts his haul immediately when he swings the ball away from left-hander John Campbell and has him caught behind by Josh Inglis, with Alex Carey off the field concussed. 0.2 - Sends a ball wide down legside to right-hander Kevlon Anderson. 0.3 - Angles one across the right-hander Anderson's body, going straight on past the off stump. 0.4 - Another straight one, this time delivered in at Anderson's middle stump. It's defended. 0.5 - Swings a full ball back in at Anderson, who attempts to leave and is hit on the pad. Anderson bizarrely reviews the lbw decision, but ball-tracking shows it hit him on off and is striking middle stump a third of the way up. 0.6 - Moves it marginally back into right-hander Brandon King, taking his inside edge before the ball rattles into the stumps. Starc becomes only second bowler in history to take three wickets in the first over of Test innings. 2.1 - After his second over was a maiden, Starc takes his 400th wicket when he swings a ball back into the back pad of Mikyle Louis. The left-armer raises the ball aloft, joining Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Nathan Lyon as Australians with 400-plus wickets. 2.2 - Starc finally concedes a run, with Shai Hope edging a ball that falls just short of Josh Inglis and goes for two. 2.3 - Hope is out next ball, when Starc cannons a ball into his front pad with the left-hander caught on the crease. Hope reviews, but ball-tracking shows it taking out his off stump. Starc's five-wicket haul is complete inside 15 balls. 3.5 - Misses out on a sixth scalp when he angles a ball across the body of Alzarri Joseph, gets the right-hander's edge and it flies to the right of Sam Konstas at third slip. 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Sky News AU
30 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Scott Boland's glittering Test cameo with hat-trick against West Indies
His restrained celebration may have said it all. Scott Boland celebrated his hat-trick on the third day of the third Test against West Indies as if it was a routine wicket for Victoria at the Junction Oval. After knocking over Jomel Warrican, Boland coolly raised a finger in his follow through and rejoiced with teammates. Perhaps emblematic of the player, there was no solo acceleration to the vacant outfield or 'me time'. 'I don't really know what to make of it, we were just saying it was celebrating just like it was a normal wicket but it was a hat-trick,' Australian captain Pat Cummins said with a laugh. Boland has not put a foot wrong in the Test arena with 62 wickets at an average of 16.53. But his selection for the third Test over spinner Nathan Lyon marks just the second time he has been given the nod over a fit player. And despite another glittering performance, the nature of Boland's status among the generational Aussie bowling quartet will likely have him on the outer for the Ashes opener in Perth. Cummins said 'I'd say never say never, but (it's) pretty unlikely' when asked if the Aussies would implement the four-quick tactic again. Boland had accepted his 14th Test, a first alongside the three Aussie quicks, was 'probably going to be a one-off' before his final-day heroics. 'Probably not; you can see when 'Gaz' (Nathan Lyon) bowls with the pink ball, especially in Adelaide, he gets it to bounce and spin a lot,' he said earlier in the Test. 'It's probably going to be a one-off. I'd like to play as many games as I could – especially with those three guys. 'But I probably see it going back, especially once we get 'Greeny' (Cameron Green) back bowling for the summer.' Former Test opener and Boland's Victorian coach, Chris Rogers, last week told NewsWire the seamer would 'have peace' knowing he was a star at the highest level. 'You just had to bide your time, wait for your opportunities and take them when you can – that's all you can control,' Rogers said. 'I will say for Scotty it would be frustrating but equally at least he's had the opportunity, shown he's good enough 'He'll reflect back and say, 'I was good enough at that level, there were just three other bowlers who were exceptional at the same time'. He'll have peace with that. 'It'll still be frustrating, but he knows every time he gets the ball in his hand he has to be amazing and he is. I think that's the credit to him.' Boland has often spoken about his readiness to play every Test despite being an unlikely selection. Rogers said that enthusiasm about the game filtered to all levels. 'I think the thing about Scotty, and what you want other players to see, is his floor is almost the same height as his ceiling,' he said. 'That's what being a professional is about and he does that because he is a fantastic professional. 'For Victoria, every time you have him in it's almost like grab a bunch of the bowlers and look what he's doing – he's amazing when we have him around. 'The interesting thing about him is he will be messaging me or the bowling coach every half an hour during the games when he's watching on TV. 'You know (asking), 'What's happening? Maybe we should be doing this'. He's fully engaged and so committed … that's exactly what you want from one of your players and leaders.' Originally published as Scott Boland produces another glittering Test cameo with a hat-trick against West Indies
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Scott Boland produces another glittering Test cameo with a hat-trick against West Indies
His restrained celebration may have said it all. Scott Boland celebrated his hat-trick on the third day of the third Test against West Indies as if it was a routine wicket for Victoria at the Junction Oval. After knocking over Jomel Warrican, Boland coolly raised a finger in his follow through and rejoiced with teammates. Perhaps emblematic of the player, there was no solo acceleration to the vacant outfield or 'me time'. 'I don't really know what to make of it, we were just saying it was celebrating just like it was a normal wicket but it was a hat-trick,' Australian captain Pat Cummins said with a laugh. Boland has not put a foot wrong in the Test arena with 62 wickets at an average of 16.53. But his selection for the third Test over spinner Nathan Lyon marks just the second time he has been given the nod over a fit player. And despite another glittering performance, the nature of Boland's status among the generational Aussie bowling quartet will likely have him on the outer for the Ashes opener in Perth. Cummins said 'I'd say never say never, but (it's) pretty unlikely' when asked if the Aussies would implement the four-quick tactic again. Boland had accepted his 14th Test, a first alongside the three Aussie quicks, was 'probably going to be a one-off' before his final-day heroics. 'Probably not; you can see when 'Gaz' (Nathan Lyon) bowls with the pink ball, especially in Adelaide, he gets it to bounce and spin a lot,' he said earlier in the Test. 'It's probably going to be a one-off. I'd like to play as many games as I could – especially with those three guys. 'But I probably see it going back, especially once we get 'Greeny' (Cameron Green) back bowling for the summer.' Former Test opener and Boland's Victorian coach, Chris Rogers, last week told NewsWire the seamer would 'have peace' knowing he was a star at the highest level. 'You just had to bide your time, wait for your opportunities and take them when you can – that's all you can control,' Rogers said. 'I will say for Scotty it would be frustrating but equally at least he's had the opportunity, shown he's good enough 'He'll reflect back and say, 'I was good enough at that level, there were just three other bowlers who were exceptional at the same time'. He'll have peace with that. 'It'll still be frustrating, but he knows every time he gets the ball in his hand he has to be amazing and he is. I think that's the credit to him.' Boland has often spoken about his readiness to play every Test despite being an unlikely selection. Rogers said that enthusiasm about the game filtered to all levels. 'I think the thing about Scotty, and what you want other players to see, is his floor is almost the same height as his ceiling,' he said. 'That's what being a professional is about and he does that because he is a fantastic professional. 'For Victoria, every time you have him in it's almost like grab a bunch of the bowlers and look what he's doing – he's amazing when we have him around. 'The interesting thing about him is he will be messaging me or the bowling coach every half an hour during the games when he's watching on TV. 'You know (asking), 'What's happening? Maybe we should be doing this'. He's fully engaged and so committed … that's exactly what you want from one of your players and leaders.'
